Seeking 200 data scientists for huge radio telescope

South Africa is seeking 200 data scientists for research that will flow from the huge global Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project. Last year the new Sol Plaatje University became the first in Africa to introduce a dedicated degree in data science. And last week three institutions teamed up to form the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy, or IDIA, which aims to train up to 100 young data scientists over five years.The universities of Cape Town, the Western Cape and North-West are partners in the IDIA, which was launched at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town last Thursday by Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor.Pandor described the Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, radio telescope as “not simply an astronomy project. Or a big science project. Or…